Fuse



Feb. 27, 1923.

n. L. PARKHURST.

FUSE.

man sEPT.12,;922.

Feb. 27,1923. 1,447,101.

D. L. PARKHURST.

FUSE.

FILED SEPT. 12, :922. s sHEETs-sHEET z.

'm M7 WW1 Patented ll 27, i923.

hield l FUSE.

Application led September l2, 1922.

Serial No. 587,599.

(FILEB ND'ER THE ACT 0F MARGH 3, 12383, 253 STAT. L., 625.)

To ctZZ vich om t may conce/rn Be it known that l, Dominas L.fPARn HUns'r, a citizen of the United States and a resident of Springfield, county of Hampden, and State ol ltlassachusetts, have invented an Improvement; in Fuses, of Wl'iich the 'following is a specification.

rEhe invention descril' ed herein may be used by the Government, or any of its otiicers or employees in prosecution of Worlr for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, Without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a fuse intended for use ,in projectiles but designed primarily for use in grenades.

The main object ot' the invention is the provision of a fuse thatwvill not function vuntil a predetermined time has elapsed and will then only function upon striking the ground or target.

l attain these objects by providing fan interrupted train orcord between the primer and booster or explosive charge, and means for bridgingl the interruption upon impact of the projectile.

lll/lith these and other objects in'view myl invention esides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and lin the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment herein disclosed may be made Within the scope oli' what is claimed without departing' from the spirit of the invention.

One practical embodiment of the invention is illust-rated in the accompanying draw ings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section olf a fragment of the grenade with a fuse constructed in accordance with the invention in place therein;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, parts in elevation7 showing the fuse in functioning position;

Fig. 3 is afragmentary sectional view taken on the lines 33 oi Fig. 1;

Fig. L is a cross section on the line 4l-l of Fig. 1;

F isa side elevation of a fragment of the safety lever; and

Fig, 6 is bottom plan view of the saine.

ieferring to the drawing by numerals of reference:

The grenade body is indicated by the nu meral 1, which body is provided with a diaphragm or transverse Wall 2 separating the 'fuse or end chamber from the main explosive chamber. The fuse end o'lh the grenade is closed, conveniently by means or' a screw cap 3 and the diaphragm or partition Wall 60 2 is apertured and threaded to receive the truste-conicalupper end of the booster casing t. Seated in the conical end of the booster casing is the lower 'frustro-conical block from which the spaced apart guide 65 Walls '6 extend. The block 5 is centrally apertured to receive the lovver end of the angular tube 7 adapted to be filled with eX- plosive 8. The guide Walls 6 are provided with longitudinal slots 9 (see Fig. 2) ex 70 tending from the top of said Walls for a portion ol their length7 in which slots are positioned pivot pins 10 upon which is pivotally mounted a casing 11 open at one end and adapted to be filled with explosive 12. 75l The casing 11 has an oilset portion formed with a slot 1B in Which is positioned a pin ll the ends of which pin are secured in the Walls 6. The guide Walls 6 are slidable loetween spaced apart guide Walls 15 each de- S0v pending from a truste-conical block 16 seated in the conical portion of the screw cap 3. The block -16 is formed with .a central aper-v ture 17 for the reception of the train ofexlplosive and the block is normally held 85 against'relative movement by pin's 18 and 19 which pass through apertures 'formed in the block and the lower ends of which eX- tend below the block and normally retain the casing 11 from rocking upon its piv- 90 ots l0.

A primer casing 20 is positioned in the neclr or' the screw cap 3 and is held in spaced relation to the block 16 by means oi a ring 20 which is threaded into the screw cap 3. 95 The primer casing 2O is normally held seated on the ring 20 by means of the enlarged portion 22 ot' the pin 19 contacting the upper :tace of the casing and sealing disc 25. The pin 18 also passes through an aperture in the 100 primer casing `and is retained in position in the primer casing and the block 16 by| means of a head 21 formed on said pin. The primer casing 20 is centrally apertured and countersunk to receisf'e the primer at 23. A coiled 105 spring positioned in an annular recess 'formed in the primer casing and interposed between the head of the casing and the ring 20,vnormally tends to force the primer casing away from the ring and bring the 110 primer 2o into eontaet with a pin E23 formed on the l of the sereiv Cap l.

pi pose oit' infrn'iall;v retaining the pin 19 in place a surety lei'er 25 overlies the head of 'the screw cap 3. which head is apertured to permit the passage ofi" the pin 19 thereto and, said lever has a hooked or curved portion '26 which contacts with the rim or flange olf' the head, and is further prorided with ears apertureff'i to receive a pin which under the flange or rim of' the head at a position diametrieally opposite to that of' the hooked portion Q6 thereby locking' the saietzif lever firn'ilv in place. The pin may be inovided With a ring); 2i' through which the pin maiv be rA adil'y Withdrawn to release the lever. The lever is provided with a handle which lies a gti-inst 'if the grenade and through ivhieh the safety ieier is maintained in place after the pin 2T has been removed and until 'the `grenade is discharged or thrown.

A retainii k springv SO may be provided on the block lo ,irom ivhieh it depends in position to hold 'the easing` ll lool-.ted in its rocked or horizontal position.

ln order to retain the guide Walls l5 and bloei: 1G in their proper posit-'ion coiled springs ll ma)v be provided, the upper ends of vmieh seat in revesn formed in the lower faces oit' guide. walls o and these springs are preferably carried on the guide pins 3Q', which are secured in apertures formed in guide Walls 6.

The operation of the devire is as follows:

TWhen the. i/'renade is to be used the same grasped in one hand in such a Wav that the lever arm is held in position against the side of the `grenade and the ring' '.29 is {rrapsed -with the other hand and the pin 27 is Withdrawn from the apertures in 'the safety lever. The `ejreniule may then be thrown or diseliiarg'ed in the usual vfay, and when thrown or discharged the lever 28 will be disgnaeed :from its position upon the Seifer.' eap by reason of the spring; lorein;l the primer easing' 2l) and pin 19 out-- ira rdly.

W'hen the primer easing' has been ioreed outivardl;r by the sprinej the primer 23 ivill be brought into eontaet with the hammer or tiring pin 23 thus discharging' the primer. At the saine time the pins 19 and l5 will have been Withdrawn from the apertures in the bloelf 16. The lirine; ot the primer 'will ignite the exploghe charge in the aperture 1T ivhieli eharige oonsists ot a powder which will burir4 for a predetermined interval of time. The burning" the poitou' charge in the aperture 17 lwill ignite the charge l2 in the easing' 1L ll'lufn tue grenade strikes the blocks 1G and o will be `forced toward each other and nin 14.- ivill bear against the sideY of slot 13l in oel; l] and rotate the oloel around :its

pivot pi l() to bring' the same into the position shown most Clearly in. Fim 2, in which position it will be held by the spring` Si). This nio'reinent- 'will take place regardless ol: the direction in which the grenade strikes the ground or target. lllhen the easin;` has heen rocked to the position shown in o'. the i'ioivder being ignited will igi1` o the charge tl in the tube Y? which charge will in turn i gnite the booster charge in the booster easing -l.

Should the grenade be accidentally dropped after thepin Q7 has been Withdrawn the fuso `will not r itunetion to detona'te the explosivoeharge for the reason that the easing` ll upon impact of the grenade with the ground will be thrown into the position shown in Fig'. 2 and this will take place betere Athe powder contained in the aperture 17 can have biiirned through the length of said aperture to ignite the ehargjL-i l* in the easing' ll.

l, claim:

l. A. fuse iiu-luding a easing, a. primer in the ez'isiiigj, means lor functioning the primer, a powder train adapted to be ignited by the primer, a booster, and means ignited by the powder train inoif'able upon impact with a. target to ignite the booster or to render ignition ot the booster impossible it the target is struck before the powder train is consumed.

Q. A fuse, including a easing', a primer carried in the easing', a powder train vin position to be ignited by the primer, a booster, means ignited ivhen the powder train is consumed moved upon impact with a target to ignite the booster' and means for holding the tirst mentioned means in moved position.

3. A fuse, including' a easing, a primer Carried in the easing, a powder train in position to be i gnited by the primer, a booster, means communieating' with the powder train moved upon impact with a target to eonnnunieate Awith the booster. said means when in normal position ignited by the powder train when the train is completely Consumed and means :t'or holding the first mentioned means in normal position.

l. The Combination with a projectile, in.- eludingzj a booster and a screw cap, of a Yfuse having elements movable toward each other and seated in the booster and serevv cap respectively, a powder train. carried by each of said elements. a casing for explosive movable to positions to Communicate with either ol" said. trains, normallyv eomi'nuniea-ting with one ot said trains, ay primer easing slidable in the cap, a primer carried by the easing, means for looking the primer easfng in, unarmed position and explosive eas- :ing in normal position, means itor functioning the primer to ignite the powder 'train -with iwhich the explosive easing' normally communicates and means, including the movable elements, for moving the explosive casing to communicate with the other train upon impact of the projectile.

5. The combination in ay fuse, vincluding; a primer and means for functioning the primer, of inter-engaging elements movable toward each other, a powder train carried by each of said elements, one communicating with lthe primer and the other adapted for communication with a booster, saidfpowder trains separated bya safety gap, means intei-posed in said gap, normally communicating with the first of said powder trains, moved b v movement of the element-s toward each other to communicate with the other of said powder trains and an explosiveV carried b v said means.

DOUGLAS PARKHURST. 

